Fabric wall panels are used to decorate the interior space in many buildings. Fabric coverings for the panels are available in numerous textures and patterns that can be coordinated with the furnishings and carpets in a room. These fabric wall panels can be customized to meet the decorating needs of various locations and decorating tastes.
Besides decorating versatility, fabric wall panels provide other desirable features. Such features include sound and heat insulation. Particularly, in large rooms such as auditoriums and theaters, fabric wall panels may include a layer of acoustical material hidden behind the fabrics that modifies the acoustical character of the room. In addition, heat-insulating material may be mounted behind the fabrics to enhance heat transfer properties of a wall.
A substantial cost involved in using fabric panels is the cost of installation. Moreover, if the fabric becomes worn or the decorating scheme changes, the need may arise to change the fabric panels. Consequently, the method of mounting and/or changing the fabric wall panels becomes an important consideration when fabric wall panels are selected for a building project.
Another consideration in the selection and use of fabric wall panels is assuring a quality installation. Particularly, the wall panels should line up uniformly with each other, and the seams between adjacent wall panels should be tight and uniform. With most fabric wall panel systems, quality of installation including alignment and uniformity of seams depends on the skill of the installer.
Some prior fabric wall panels are installed in situ. For example, as disclosed in Baslow U.S. Pat. No. 4,018,260, border pieces of a panel are permanently attached to the wall to form a framework for mounting a fabric sheet. The fabric sheet completely covers the wall without being adhered to the wall itself. The linear border pieces include a key way into which the fabric is forced by means of a compressible spline. The linear border pieces also include a storage channel, which allows the border pieces to create a finished look at the edges. The uniformity of installation depends on the skill of the installer in terms of aligning the framework and particularly forcing the fabric into the key way so that the fabric is uniformly stretched on the framework.
In addition, fabric wall panels can be prefabricated off of the wall. One method for installing a prefabricated fabric wall panel employs a cross-nailing system as disclosed by the patent to Anderson, U.S. Pat. No. 4,731,972. Each fabric wall panel disclosed in the Anderson patent is prefabricated and then installed by driving two headless pin nails at an angle in a crossed fashion through the frame pieces of the prefabricated wall panel. The crossed nails penetrate completely through the fabric, partially penetrate the frame, and securely fasten the fabric wall panel to the wall. A fabric wall panel attached using this cross-nailing method cannot be easily removed from the wall if one should desire to replace the fabric, replace the panel, or remove the panel entirely.
One successful removable wall panel system is disclosed in Anderson U.S. Pat. No. 5,715,638. In that patent, a fabric wall panel is mounted on the wall by means of hangers. Each frame member of each wall panel has a spine with an elongated slit, a side edge, and a front edge that together define a groove. A flat filler insert is fitted within the groove of each frame member. Fabric is stretched over the frame and flat filler insert and is bonded to the back of the spine of each frame member to complete the finished fabric wall panel. The hanger has a flat base and a perpendicularly extending tongue with an enlarged head. A number of hangers are affixed on the wall using an adhesive. The slit on the frame of the fabric wall panel is aligned with the tongue of hanger on the wall, and the prefabricated fabric wall panel is affixed to the wall by pressing the slit over the tongue on the hanger. Each fabric wall panel can be prefabricated in standard sizes or custom fabricated on site. Each fabric wall panel can also be independently replaced or removed entirely by unsnapping the fabric wall panel from the supporting hangers and replacing it with another prefabricated fabric wall panel.
Another successful removable wall panel system is disclosed in Anderson U.S. Pat. No. 6,574,936. That patent discloses a fabric wall panel comprising a frame constructed of frame members or tracks. Wall hangars are affixed to the walls. Each fabric wall panel is separately constructed. The frame members engage the wall hangers to allow easy attachment and removal of the prefabricated fabric wall panel from the walls.
Another removable wall panel system is disclosed in Anderson United States Patent Application Publication No. 2007/0283656. The fabric wall panels comprise a frame, a flat filler, and a fabric stretched over the flat filler and held by a clamp around the edges of the frame. The fabric wall panels are removably mounted on the wall by means of a hanger. Because of the fabric is held on the frame by the clamp, the fabric wall panel may be assembled either on the wall or separately from the wall.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,676,016; 4,805,330; and 6,431,251 all disclose a wall panel system in which the frame members are connected directly to the wall, and the frame members engage the fabric by a hook and snap arrangement.
The prior art has thus failed to disclose a fabric wall panel system in which the installer can easily mount and assemble the fabric wall panels in situ on the walls.